Tap water can have a lot of impurities in it, and one of the most dangerous and less common ones can be lead. You should know how it gets into water and why it’s so bad for you because you must a using a water filtration system to remove lead from your tap water. Let’s begin!
How Does Lead Get Into Water?
There’s no probable cause of lead poisoning in the water that’s coming from the main supply line, but there can be a couple of reasons. First, the water supply line can be poisoned with lead already and it’s causing the water to get mixed in with this toxic metal and causing problems. Secondly, there might be a high concentration of lead mixed in the water reservoir, where the water is coming from, and it can lead to lead getting mixed in.
Usually, if pipes and fixtures are corroded and there’s water coming through these rusted contraptions, it can cause lead to mix in and it’s barely noticeable so, it can turn into a hazard pretty quickly. If you didn’t know this already, back in the early 1800s, water pipes were made out of lead, because it was a long-lasting material that didn’t corrode over time.
So, if that’s what you have in your house too, because you didn’t change them yet, then there might be higher chances of lead poisoning in your tap water. After the side effects and dangers of lead were brought to light, it caused a whole revolution in pipe changes and that’s how steel and plastic pipes came to be used for water supply.
How To Know If There’s Lead In Water
Lead is a really hard metal to trace in water, because it doesn’t have any smell, color, or taste, so it can be pretty dangerous if you’re drinking water without having it tested first. There are some ways you can use to see if there’s lead in water.
You will need to request a water report. It can be easily issued to you, by the company or the contractor that’s providing water to you in the first place. You can request a recent water report to check the quantity of minerals present in it and you can even ask for the lead concentration. It’s an easy way to figure out whether your water has lead in it or not.
The next thing you can do is do a test by yourself. If you’re feeling sick after drinking your normal tap water and just want to put your mind at ease, then you can run a test by yourself as well. You will need to take the water sample and go to your nearest water testing lab and have it tested.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any household tests that you can do for lead detection because lead is a highly dangerous metal and so a water quality test for it should be done in a safe laboratory and sterile setting. They can run specific tests and you can find out how much lead is in your water.
If you have lead water pipes in your house then it becomes mandatory for you to run a test because chances are that there might be a lot of concentration of lead in your water due to the corroding metal pipes.
Harmful Effects Of Lead In Water
Here are some dangerous side effects and health hazards of lead in drinking water and what it can do to your body if you consume it. That’s why you should either install a water filter in your home or avoid consuming the tap water and subscribe to a bottled water home delivery Warren service.
Bad Stomach Aches
Lead isn’t a metal that’s just going to sit around in your bloodstream. It has immense hazards that aren’t going to leave you in the best of conditions. One of the most common health problems that lead can cause is stomach ache. Your stomach will feel extremely cramped and you will find it hard to keep food down as well. This, in turn, can also cause digestive issues and irregular bowel movements.
Painful Ulcers
If you’re already prone to ulcers, then drinking water that has lead in it will only cause more bad than good. Lead can cause bad ulcers inside your stomach and near the intestines. It is a harsh metal and the more water you drink that has lead in it, the more it’s going to cause the ulcers to worsen.
So, you should stop drinking this water immediately, especially if you feel a burning sensation creep up and there’s a lot of fullness even though you didn’t eat anything too heavy. It’s all because of those ulcers and it can lead to bigger problems later on.
Anemia
This metal can also lead to blood issues and one of the more serious ones is anemia. Anemia is the depletion of red blood cells and it might cause you to look deathly pale, yellow and it will also make you lose your breath faster, especially if you try to overexert yourself too much.
Since red blood cells are the carriers of oxygen and there’s a prominent depletion in them, you will feel it in the way you breathe. It will be labored, you’re always going to try to catch your breath and it might also cause wheezing. This is all because of lead.
Low Brain Development
This mostly happens in growing children. Children and toddlers who are growing up also develop different parts of their brains and undergo important neurological development. If your kids are exposed to the toxic metal, aka lead, then it can cause the brain functions and development to shut down or slowdown in speed.
This can lead to the children losing focus and concentration, getting blank, and there’s also going to be difficulty in thinking and comprehending certain situations and circumstances, so that can be extremely alarming for parents.
Premature Births
Pregnant women also need to keep lead at bay. Since pregnant women are already at high risk, it’s best to keep the exposure of toxic metals to a minimum, because that can lead to permanent issues with the child and the lingering health effects on the mother.
If women drink lead-infested water during pregnancy, then it can cause premature births, partial development of the fetus, slow growth of the fetus, and general difficulties in the birthing and nursing process. This is why it’s important that these things are taken care of, and that the water is tested for lead, before giving it to pregnant women to drink.
Heart Issues
Lead can also cause heart issues, especially if you are drinking water with lead in it regularly. Lead-infested water can cause an enlarged heart, improper pumping of the aorta, valve problems, angina attacks, and, worse, heart failure.
Lead is a highly toxic and dangerous metal and it can put a toll on this vital organ and lead to irreversible issues, so it’s better to be safe than sorry and have the water checked for lead before you go ahead and drink it.
Conclusion
Water with lead is not good for you at all. There are a lot of health alterations that can occur if you consume water with lead, so be careful and consider a whole house water filtration Meadville installation.
